Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Concept:Alan Wake’s mystery deepens at the expense of the engrossing atmosphere being stripped away

Graphics:The lighting effects are outstanding, and small details like the realistic movement of Alan’s flannel shirt are found all throughout the game; however, the world is a non-entity and does little to enhance the atmosphere

Sound:Suspense tied to the sound design is scaled way back this time around. Licensed music is used at the right times to add a kick to specific combat encounters. Alan’s and Mr. Scratch’s voice work are once again excellent. The rest of the crew…not so much

Playability:The same great light/gunplay returns and is made better by a more powerful arsenal and a wider variety of enemy types

Entertainment:The story is weird and poorly paced, but it’s loaded with morsels for Alan Wake theorists to eat up and debate

Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Summary:

In the first installment of the Alan Wake series, developer Remedy Entertainment invited gamers to experience a mystery with no end. After leaving Alan in a precarious position at Cauldron Lake, gamers flocked to message boards to provide clarity to this game’s story. Was Alan an asylum escapee conjuring demons in his mind? Was he a writer whose typed words magically altered the world? Or was he fast asleep and trapped in a nightmare? Any one of these theories – not to mention a handful of others I’ve discussed with fellow Alan Wake fans – could be the answer guiding this